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Security report for forum13plus.de

Arbeitskreis Forum 13+ · Education · Germany

Medium risk. 6 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view, Security headers and 1 other check.

Security score

61/100

Risk levelMedium

0–100, higher is better. How it is calculated

The Arbeitskreis Forum 13+ website represents an independent working group of experts from German library consortia and related academic institutions focused on open-access licensing and contract negotiations. The site serves as an informational platform for coordination and knowledge exchange among stakeholders in the German academic library sector. Technically, the website employs modern frontend technologies such as Bootstrap, jQuery, and D3.js, hosted on academic infrastructure (GWDG). However, it lacks a CMS and advanced analytics or marketing tools, reflecting a focused, non-commercial purpose. Security posture is basic, with no explicit HTTPS or security headers information available, and no privacy or cookie policies present. Contact and incident response information are absent, limiting user trust and compliance visibility. Overall, the site is safe, professional, and targeted at a specialized academic audience but would benefit from enhanced security and compliance features.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
33/ 100 · High
Checks completed
7of 7

NIS2 Art. 21(2)

  1. (a) Risk analysis and security policies: Not visible from outside
  2. (b) Incident handling: One indicator
  3. (c) Business continuity, backups and crisis management: Not visible from outside
  4. (d) Supply chain security: Not visible from outside
  5. (e) Secure acquisition, development and maintenance, including vulnerability handling: Partly checked
  6. (f) Assessing the effectiveness of security measures: Not visible from outside
  7. (g) Cyber hygiene and security training: Not visible from outside
  8. (h) Cryptography and encryption: Partly checked
  9. (i) HR security, access control and asset management: One indicator
  10. (j) Multi-factor authentication and secured communications: Not visible from outside

This scan rated NIS2 with an earlier keyword method that is no longer shown; rescan for the per-article view. Risk management, continuity, supply chain, training, MFA, management oversight (Art. 20) and incident reporting (Art. 23) need internal evidence, and Guard cannot tell whether NIS2 applies to this organisation.

GDPR is indicative only, based on publicly visible signals: Articles 7, 12, 13 and 32 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive. Not a certification or legal assessment.

Priority findings

6 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. GDPR outside view

    These are the privacy signals visitors and data protection authorities look for under GDPR.

    • Critical

      EU business without adequate privacy measures

      EU businesses are subject to strict GDPR requirements

      What to do: Implement comprehensive GDPR compliance including privacy policy, cookie consent, and data protection measures

    • High

      No Cookie Policy found

      GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

      What to do: Add a dedicated cookie policy explaining cookie usage and purposes

    • High

      No Cookie Consent Banner found

      GDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies

      What to do: Implement a cookie consent banner that appears on first visit

  2. Security headers

    Security headers are instructions your web server sends to every visitor’s browser. Missing ones leave visitors more exposed to attacks such as clickjacking and injected scripts.

    • High

      Missing X-Frame-Options header

      Prevents clickjacking attacks

      What to do: Add "X-Frame-Options: DENY" or "X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN"

    • High

      Missing Content-Security-Policy header

      Controls resources the browser is allowed to load

      What to do: Implement a Content-Security-Policy appropriate for your application

      • ASVS V3.4.3
      • OWASP Secure Headers: OWASP Secure Headers Project recommends Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; form-action 'self'; base-uri 'self'; object-src 'none';…

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  • TLS certificates and expiry
  • DNS records
  • SPF, DKIM and DMARC
  • Security headers
  • GDPR and NIS2 posture
  • Exposed services
  • Third-party trackers
  • Security score drift

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Results by check

Each check with its score, findings and the evidence it collected.

How this score is calculated

The security score runs 0–100, higher is better. It is the plain average of the security checks that completed in this scan, each counted equally. A check that could not run is left out: it counts neither as a pass nor as a fail.

Counted in this score

SSL/TLS
72
Security headers
30
Email security
70
DNS health
60
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
33
Average
61

Not counted

  • NIS2 outside view: Re-weights evidence from the TLS, email, DNS, network and hygiene checks, so counting it would count that evidence twice. Shown on its own.
  • OffSeq Observations: An AI reading of the site, useful context but not reproducible evidence. Shown on its own.

Findings that cap the score at 49

Each of these is serious on its own, so while any is present the site cannot rate better than high risk, however good the other checks are.

  • The certificate is not trusted by browsers
  • The website is not served over HTTPS
  • A database, remote desktop, file-sharing or Telnet service is reachable from the internet
  • The page loads a script from a compromised source
  • The domain registration has expired
  • SPF authorises every server to send mail as the domain

Partial scans

When the site blocks Guard or most checks cannot run, the score covers only the checks that ran (usually DNS and email), is capped at 75 and is shown as partial, without a risk level.

Risk levels

  • Critical0–25
  • High26–49
  • Medium50–75
  • Low76–100

Breach exposure

Leaked credentials and lookalike domains from OffSeq Breach. The counts are free; the detailed lists are paid add-ons.

Dark web exposure

Add-on

Leaked records that mention forum13plus.de, from OffSeq Breach.

No leaked records found

Breach holds no records for forum13plus.de right now. New leaks arrive continuously, so monitoring on Breach alerts you if that changes.

Monitor on Breach (opens in a new tab)

Technical appendix

Business context, site observations and technical notes gathered during the scan, and the standards behind each reference.

Business context

Business profile

The Arbeitskreis Forum 13+ operates as a small, specialized non-profit entity within the German education sector, focusing on open-access transformation contracts and negotiations with publishers. Its market position is niche, serving academic libraries and consortia. The business model centers on expert collaboration rather than commercial services. No parent or subsidiary companies are indicated. The website content is relevant and consistent with its mission, though it lacks broader business information or trust signals such as certifications or testimonials. The hosting on GWDG aligns with academic credibility. The absence of contact details and policies suggests limited public engagement beyond its expert community.

Security posture

Security maturity is low to moderate. The website does not provide evidence of HTTPS enforcement or security headers, which are critical for protecting user data and preventing common web attacks. No vulnerability disclosures, incident response contacts, or security policies are published. The use of modern JavaScript libraries is positive but requires regular updates to mitigate vulnerabilities. The lack of privacy and cookie policies indicates non-compliance with GDPR and related regulations. Overall, the security posture is minimal and should be improved to enhance trust and compliance.

Recommendations

  1. Implement HTTPS with a valid SSL/TLS certificate and enforce secure connections site-wide.
  2. Add comprehensive privacy and cookie policies to comply with GDPR and inform users.
  3. Publish clear contact information including security incident response channels.
  4. Deploy security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options.
  5. Regularly audit and update third-party libraries to mitigate vulnerabilities.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Arbeitskreis Forum 13+
Description
Der Arbeitskreis Forum 13+ ist ein unabhängiger Arbeitskreis von Expert*innen aus deutschen Bibliothekskonsortien als Akteuren der überregionalen Lizenzierung, von Open-Access-Infrastrukturprojekten, Universitätsbibliotheken, des Allianz-Schwerpunkts “Digitalität in der Wissenschaft” und des Deutschen Bibliotheksverbandes (dbv). Ziel der Aktivitäten ist der Austausch zu Fragen rund um die Modellierung und praktische Implementierung von Open-Access-Transformationsverträgen sowie die Koordination von Verhandlungen mit kleinen und mittelgroßen Verlagen bzw. Fachgesellschaften.
Key services
exchange on open-access transformation contracts, coordination of negotiations with small and medium publishers and societies
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
HTML5, Bootstrap 5.3.1, jQuery 3.6.0, Font Awesome 6.5.2, Headroom.js 0.11.0, Bootstrap TOC 1.0.1, Clipboard.js 2.0.11, Fuse.js, Algolia Autocomplete, D3.js, Flatbush, ggiraphjs
Frameworks
Bootstrap
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
basic

Security

Observed score
40/100

Analytics and tracking

Tracking level
minimal
Privacy practices
poor

Advertising

Transparency
poor

Site quality

Design
good
User experience
good
Content relevance
good
Navigation
good
Professionalism
good
Trustworthiness
moderate

Key observations

  1. Website is an academic working group site focused on open access in German libraries.
  2. No privacy, cookie, or terms of service policies found.
  3. No contact emails, phone numbers, or social media links detected.
  4. Uses modern frontend libraries but no CMS detected.
  5. No explicit security policies or incident response information provided.
  6. No advertising or analytics services detected.
  7. Content is safe and professional.
  8. WHOIS data is minimal but consistent with academic hosting.
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses a modern frontend stack including Bootstrap 5.3.1, jQuery 3.6.0, Font Awesome 6.5.2, and D3.js for interactive visualizations. It is hosted on GWDG, a German academic computing center, indicating reliable infrastructure. The site is mobile-optimized and has clear navigation. No CMS or backend platform is detected, suggesting a static or custom-built site. Performance is moderate with no explicit indicators of optimization or caching. Accessibility features are basic but present. SEO optimization is minimal with basic meta tags and Open Graph data. The technical implementation is solid for an academic site but could benefit from enhanced security and compliance integrations.
Standards and sources

Reference chips under each finding point to the standard, regulation or specification the finding relates to. They are taken from the official datasets below and mapped conservatively: a finding with no defensible link shows none. NIS2 and GDPR references mark where a finding is relevant evidence, not a compliance verdict. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690 binds digital infrastructure and digital service providers; for other entities it is the most detailed public reading of the Article 21 measures. WCAG, EN 301 549, European Accessibility Act and Web Accessibility Directive references name the requirement an automated accessibility rule relates to; they are not a conformance verdict.

Retrieved 2026-10-25

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